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Filters

Idioms

Phrases

Proverbs

Loan words

Historical loan words

wāhine

1. (modifier) female, women, feminine.

Ka haere te tīma wāhine o Tāne-nui-a-Rangi ki ngā whakataetae hōkī ā-tau ki Te Wairoa (HP 1991:6) / The women’s team of Tāne-nui-a-Rangi went to the annual hockey tournament at Wairoa.

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2. (noun) women, females, ladies, wives – plural form of wahine.

Ko tana pūtake i tohe ai ia, he tokomaha ngā wāhine e whiwhi whenua ana, ko rātou anō kei te whakahaere, he kore tungāne tonu nō rātou, he mōhio ake rānei nō rātou i ngā tāne (TTR 1994:54). / The basis of her argument was that many women owned land and they themselves administered it because they had no male relatives, or because they were more competent than the men.

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See also wahine

wahine

1. (modifier) female, womanly, feminine.

Ko te reo karanga tuatahi o runga marae tētahi tikanga nui o te mana wahine (A 2017). / The first call of welcome on the marae is an important expression of female mana.

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2. (noun) woman, female, lady, wife.

Kua tīmata anō te wahine ki te mau roroa i te panekoti. E tika ana anō, i te mea kua tae kē ngā panekoti o nāianei ki runga ake i ngā turi (TTT 1/9/1929:1064). / Women have again started wearing longer skirts. And that's appropriate because currently skirts are above the knees.

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Synonyms: reiri

wahine moe wahine

1. (noun) homosexual woman, lesbian.

Synonyms: takatāpui

tūpuna wahine

1. (noun) female ancestors, grandmothers, great grandmothers – the western dialect form of tīpuna wahine and plural form of tupuna wahine.

Kua ngaro ō koutou tūpuna tāne, tūpuna wahine (TMP 25/7/1893:3). / Our male and female ancestors are gone.

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wahine iawhiti

1. (noun) trans-woman.

hoa wahine

1. (noun) wife, female partner.

I te tau 1965, ka mate tana hoa wahine, a Parehuia, tōna ringa matau i āna mahi katoa (TTR 1998:13). / His wife, Parehuia, and his right hand in all his work, died in 1965.

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mate wahine

1. (verb) to be having a period, menstruate.

I runga i ngā tikanga Māori, kia kaua te wahine e haere ki te kaukau i te awa, i te moana i a ia e mate wahine ana (PK 2008:434). / According to Māori custom, a woman should not go swimming in streams and the sea when she has her period.

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2. (adjective) be lustful, lust after (a woman).

I taua wā ko Te Kooti te kaiārahi o tētahi rōpū ririhau, he whānako hōiho, he mate wahine ngā mahi (TTR 1994:83). / At that time Te Kooti was the leader of a turbulent group involved in stealing horses and adulterous exploits.

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Synonyms: mate kanehe, tūkari, mate tāne


3. (noun) period, menstruation, menstrual cycle.

I ngā rā o nehe, ko te kope te taputapu hei pupuri i te toto i te wā o te mate wahine (PK 2008:433). / In the olden days, kope were used to stop the blood flow during menstruation.

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Synonyms: takiwā, mate marama, awa o te atua, tahe, waiwhero

wahine iti

1. (noun) concubine.

Na kua pūremu tana wahine iti, a mawehe atu ana i a ia ki te whare o tōna pāpā, ki Peterehema Hura (PT Kaiwhakariterite 19:2). / And his concubine played the whore against him, and went away from him unto her father's house to Beth–lehem–judah.

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wahine matua

1. (noun) head wife, senior wife.

Tokowhitu ngā tamariki a Taiwhanga rāua ko tana wahine matua ko Māta Rawa o Te Arawa (TTR 1990:139). / Taiwhanga and his first wife, Martha Rawa of Te Arawa, had seven children.

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wahine whakawhānau

1. (noun) midwife.

Ka nuku atu ōna tau i te 34 pea, i te 35 rānei, ka tīmata te hau o tōna rongo hei wahine whakawhānau tamariki, hei tohunga whakaora i raro i te tikanga Māori, hei matakite hoki (TTR 1998:170). / When she was 34 or 35 her renown spread as a midwife, a traditional Māori healer and seer.

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See also wāhine whakawhānau

Synonyms: tapuhi, kaiwhakawhānau

wāhine whakawhānau

1. (noun) midwives.

Nā ngā wāhine whakawhānau ia i whakangote (TTR 1994:8). / He was suckled by midwives.

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tipuna wahine

1. (noun) female ancestor, grandmother, great grandmother.

Otirā i mau ki a ia te wehi, te tapu, o tōna tipuna wahine o Hinematioro (M 2004:72). / But it is recognised that the prestige and tapu of his grandmother, Hinematioro, descended to and upon him.

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See also tupuna wahine

tupuna wahine

1. (noun) female ancestor, grandmother, great grandmother.

Ko te tupuna tāne o Peka nō Tahiti, ko tōna tupuna wahine nō Hawai‘i (TP 9/1907:4). / Baker's grandfather was from Tahiti and his grandmother was from Hawai‘i.
He uri anō hoki ia nō te tupuna wahine, nō Waimirirangi (TTR 1990:69) / She was a descendant of the female ancestor, Waimirirangi.

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wahine mārena

1. (loan) (noun) bride.

Mā katoa ngā kākahu rite tonu ki te wahine mārena (TP 9/1906:7). / The clothes were all white just like a bride.

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tū wahine

1. (noun) female stance - upright stance in haka with feet side by side, slightly apart.

Ko te tū kapa, te tū wahine rānei: He matika te tū, e paku pirara ana ngā waewae (RMR 2017). / The tū kapa or female stance: The stance is upright and the feet are a little apart.

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Wahine kōrero whenua

1. A peace-making woman.

Ko Te Arikinui Te Atairangikaahu te tauira o te wahine kōrero whenua / Te Arikinui Te Atairangikaahu is an example of a woman who bought about peace.

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tāne moe wahine

1. (noun) heterosexual man.

tāne tāwhai wahine

1. (noun) female impersonator.

Ko ngā kaimahi he kuīni whakarākei, he tāne tāwhai wahine, he tangata kahuwhiti, he taihemawhiti, he tāne moe tāne, he tāne moe wahine, he wahine moe wahine. (Townsend, 2018) / The staff were a mix of drag queens, female impersonators, transvestites and transsexuals, plus a few gay men, straight men and lesbian women.

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wahine moe tāne

1. (noun) heterosexual woman, married woman.

Ka nui te whakamihi me te whakamīharo ki a Mere mōna e kaha nei ahakoa he wahine moe tāne, ā, tokorima rawa ā rāua tamariki (HM 3/1998:1). / We congratulate and are impressed with Mere for her strength in raising five children, despite being married.

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Minitatanga mō ngā Wāhine

1. (loan) Ministry of Women's Affairs.

Nō nakua tonu nei i rongo kōrero ai mātou i te Taura Whiri mō "Te Wā o te Wahine Māori" kei te whakaritea mai e te Ohu Whakatupu, arā, e te wāhanga Māori o te Minitatanga mō ngā Wāhine (HM 4/1993). / Just a little while ago we at the Māori Language Commission heard about "Māori Women's Day" which is being organised by Te Ohu Whakatupu, the Māori division of the Ministry of Women's Affairs.

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